Katharina Buczek
In 2021, a quiet young woman from Tennessee leaped from her window wearing only her pajamas, rushed into the dense woods, and completely vanished– never heard from or seen again.
This is the strange story of 26-year-old Kaitlyn Ledbetter’s disappearance.
After being born in 1995, she grew up near her mother’s hometown outside of Indianapolis. Then, by the time she was a young adult, Kaitlyn lived with her father and his girlfriend in Hilham, Tennessee.
It was at her father’s home on Turkeytown Road that the 26-year-old got into an argument with her father’s girlfriend, Crystal.
The dispute began early on the chilly morning of May 2, 2021, at approximately 5:00 a.m. It remains unclear what the argument was about, but it was likely significant– because by the end, Kaitlyn ultimately jumped out of her bedroom window and fled the property.
At the time, she was wearing just a cropped t-shirt and pajama shorts. The 26-year-old also had no shoes on, did not bring her cell phone, and had no vehicle or other form of transportation.
The last time her father, Scotty, saw his daughter, she was running away from his house and into the woods. Afterward, Kaitlyn was never seen again.
Turkeytown Road is not a region where residents can go for a simple walk in the woods, either. According to Erik Hammock, a citizen of Overton County who decided to get involved in Kaitlyn’s case, the area is home to “some of the roughest terrain” with hills, hollers, and very steep declines.
“And it’s nothing something I would even be happy about doing if I had the gear that I needed to do it,” he added.
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